Network telephony appliance and system supporting wireless internet telephony

• US 20040148395A1
• Filed: 03/18/2004
• Published: 07/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alianza, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Trustees Of Columbia University In The City Of New York (Columbia University)
• Inventors: Schulzrinne, Henning
• Granted Patent: US 6,970,909 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A communication system in accordance with the present invention includes at least one network appliance device (3415) which is coupled to a network (3402). The network appliance device (3415) includes software for detecting incoming calls and initiating call sessions in accordance with a signaling protocol. The system further includes a wireless communication gateway (3410) coupled to the network (3402) for allowing the network appliance device (3415) to communicate in accordance with a wireless network protocol. The wireless communication gateway (3410) includes, or is coupled to, a communication proxy (3405) for translating messages between the signaling protocol and the wireless network protocol. In one exemplary embodiment the signaling protocol takes the form of the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and the wireless communication protocol takes the form of the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP).

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a network appliance device coupled to a network, the device comprising software for detecting incoming calls and initiating call sessions in accordance with a signaling protocol;

a communication gateway coupled to the network, the communication gateway providing for communications between the network appliance and devices outside the network in accordance with a wireless communications protocol; and

a wireless communication proxy server coupled to the network for translating messages between the signaling protocol and the wireless communication protocol.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the signaling protocol is the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the wireless communication protocol is the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP).

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the signaling protocol is the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and the wireless communication protocol is the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP).

5. The system of claim 4 further comprising at least one SIP proxy server coupled to the network for exchanging SIP messages with the network appliance device and with the wireless communication proxy server.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein the network appliance device and the wireless communication proxy server exchange SIP messages directly.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the network appliance device comprises a display, and the network appliance device receives messages translated by the communication proxy that relate to content for the display.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the network appliance device receives messages translated by the wireless communication proxy server that relate to content for the display when no call is in progress.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the network appliance device is configurable to allow a user to select the content displayed when no call is in progress.

10. The system of claim 4 wherein a key stroke at the network appliance device is provided to the wireless communication proxy server as a single SIP request.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the communication gateway and the wireless communications proxy server are an integrated system.

12. A communication system comprising:

a network appliance device coupled to a network, the device comprising software for detecting incoming calls and initiating call sessions in accordance with the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP);

at least one SIP server coupled to the network for exchanging SIP messages with the network appliance device; and

a communication gateway coupled to the network for allowing the network appliance device to communicate outside the network in accordance with a wireless communication protocol.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the wireless communication protocol is the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP).

14. A method of communicating with a network appliance device in a network, comprising:

at the network appliance device, detecting incoming calls and initiating call sessions in accordance with a first protocol and

using a communication proxy, translating messages between the first protocol and a second protocol to allow the network appliance device to communicate in accordance with a second protocol.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the first protocol is the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the second protocol is the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP).

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the first protocol is the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and the second protocol is the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP).

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising using one or more SIP servers coupled to the network for exchanging SIP messages with the network appliance device and with the communication proxy.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising directly exchanging SIP messages between the network appliance device and the communication proxy.

20. The method of claim 14 further comprising receiving at the network appliance device messages translated by the communication proxy that relate to content for display at the device.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the messages that relate to content for display at the device are received when no call is in progress.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising, at the network appliance device, allowing a user to configure the device to select the content displayed when no call is in progress.